Process of purifying water.



No. 736,444. PATENTEDAUG. 18, 1903. J. E. C. I. PUTZBYS. PROCESS- OFPURIFYING WATER.

APPLIOAITIONIILED APR. 17. 1902.

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Nb. 736,444. PATENTEDAUG. 18, 1943.

J. 3.0. 1. PUTZBYS.

PROCESS OF PURIFYIN G WATER.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 17, 1902.

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UN irhn TATES Patented August 18, 1903.

ATENT FFICE. I

PROCESS OF PURIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,444, dated August18, 1903. Application filed April 17,1902. Serial No. 103,280. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULEs EMMANUEL CHARLES ISIDORE PUTZEYS, engineer, asubject of the King of Belgium, residing at 18 Avenue de la Renaissance,Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements Relating to the Purification of \Vater, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of this invention is to replace the phenomena of thepurification of Water which take place irregularly in calcareous rock byphysical and chemical actions systematically regulated by human agencyand to apply these actions both to the purification and t thesterilization of water obtained from doubtful sources and to thepurification and sterilization of surface water.

I attribute the purification of waterpenetrating fissured calcareousrocks and reappearing in the form of a spring to a phenomenon consistingof mechanical filtration followed by chemical action 'in solution inWater. Carbonic anhydrid in solution in water acts upon calcareousrocks, producing a soluble bicarbonate of lime which is easilydecomposed again into the insoluble carbonate, precipitating andcarrying down with it suspended matter, germs, 850. Basing my methodupon this principle, I proceed to the purification of waterin thefollowing manner: I cause, first, separation of the water from itsmechanical impurities by means of a more or less rapid filtration,according to the water which is being treated; second, a circulation ofthe water in a mass of calcareous rock of a suitable description, firstcharging it with carbonic anhydrid; third, the liberation of thecarbonic anhydrid which is in excess with precipitation of calcareoussalts. This may be done by aeration. These operations may beconveniently conducted in the manner illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation, partly insection, of an installation as a whole suited for the practicalapplication of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section,of this same installation. Fig. 3 is a section on theline A B of Fig. 2.Fig. dis a section on the line B B of Fig. 2. Fig. is a verticalsection, upon a larger scale, of one of the purifyingcolumns formingpart of the installation represented in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is avertical section through a saturator, also forming part of theinstallation represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate the filtering-basins for the water tobe treated, these basins being provided with a filtering medium 3 andwith admission and discharge pipes 4 and 5 for the water to be treatedand the filtered water, respectively.

, 6 is a basin into which the filtered Water passes on leaving thefiltering-basins 1 and 2.

7 is a basin for the reception of the water after it has been treated inaccordance with my method.

8 is a pipe entering the basin 6 and connected to a pump 9, which may beactuated by means of a steam-motor supplied by the steam-generator 10,for example.

11 is the force-pipe of the pump 9, terminating at an air bell or dome12, serving to regulate the passage of the water through the purifyingappliances. The water escapes from this bell through two conduits 13 and14. The conduit 14: terminates at the upper portion of a saturator 15,which is represented separately in Fig. 6. This saturator is composed ofa vertical column closed at its lowerand upper parts by means ofautoclave or digester closing devices 16 and contains glass balls 17,supported upon a perforated bottom 18, beneath which is a chamber 19,formed in the base of the saturator. The water-supply pipe 14 enters theupper part of the sat-urator and terminates in a rose 20, serving tospray the water upon the glass balls 17.

21 is a pipe for the discharge of the water which has traversed thesaturator 15.

22 is a pipe for the supply of carbonic anhydrid, opening at the lowerportion of the saturator 15 and connected to tubes 23, Figs.

1 and 2, containing carbonic anhydrid.

25 is a pump which draws the water from the chamber 19, arranged beneaththe saturator 15, through the pipe 21.

26 represents purifying-columns, which are shown separately in Fig. 5.These columns are connected one with the other, so as to form a battery,alternately by pipes 27 at the upper portion and by pipes 28 at thelower portion. The first of these columns is connected by the pipe 13 tothe bell 12 and the last by a pipe 29 to the basin 7. A pipe 30,connected to the pump 25, terminates at the lower portion of certain ofthe columns 26 in order to conduct there the water forced by the pump25, as hereinafter described in detail. Each column 26, Fig. 5, inclosesin its lower portion, into which opens the pipe 30, a mass, 31, ofmaterial resisting the attack of carbonic anhydrid. Above this mass 31is arranged a perforated bottom 32 and above this latter a secondperforated bottom 33, there being left between these two perforatedbottoms, a space into which enters the water passing from one column toanother through the pipe 28. Each column 26 contains above itsperforated bottom pieces of suitablyselected calcium carbonate 34.

35 represents two autoclave or digester-olosing devices for the columns26, permitting them to be charged with the calcium carbonate andenabling the placing in position of the perforated bottoms 32 and 33 andthe removal of the same.

36 is a safety-valve arranged at the upper part of the saturator 15.

37 is a pressure-gage arranged upon the saturator.

38 is a level-indicator permitting of regulating the height of the waterin the chamber 19, arranged at the lower part of the saturator.

39 represents valves or cocks arranged upon the water supply andcirculation pipes.

40 represents cocks permitting of regulating the flow of water in thepipe 30.

4:1 is a series of overflow-pipes for the basins 1, 2, and 7.

The installation as a whole thus constituted operates in the followingmanner: The water to be treated entering through the pipes 4 flows intothe filtering-basins 1 and 2, from which it passes after being freedfrom its physical impurities or filtered more or less rapidly throughthe pipes 5 into the reservoir 6, into which enters the suction-pipe'8of the pump 9. This latter sucks the filtered Water and forces itthrough the pipe 11 into the regulating-bell 12, from which it isconducted through the pipe 13 into the purifying appliances 26 andthrough the pipe 14 into the saturator 15. This water trickles into thesaturator upon the glass balls 17 and ters Patent of the United States,is-

is thus brought into intimate contact with the carbonic anhydridsupplied from the tubes 23 and entering the saturator 15 through thepipe 22. The water thus saturated with carbonic anhydrid is drawn fromthe chamber 19 of the saturator 15 by the pump 25, which forces itthrough the pipe 30 and injects it under pressure into the lower part ofthe columns 26, in which this water, saturated with carbonic anhydrid,encounters the water to be purified, passing successivelyinto thedifferent columns through the pipes 27 and 28. This water injected underpressure into the current of water to be purified insures the mixing,which causes the attack of the limestone 34. The velocity of the passageand the duration of the contacts of the water with the limestone and thecarbonic anhydrid in the purifying-columns 25 are regulated by the cooks39. On its leaving the purifying-columns 26 the water is conductedthrough the conduit 28 into the res ervoir 7, where, if necessary, it isfreed by aeration from the carbonic anhydrid in excess with or withoutprecipitation of the bicarbonates and with or without recuperation ofthe carbonic anhydrid liberated.

It is obvious that the number of the mechanical separators or filtersand of the purifyin g and saturating appliances may vary, according tothe nature of the installation and of theresults desired. The sameresults may also be obtained by means of difierent arrangements ofappliances, the principle remaining the same.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let- The method of purifying waterwhich consists in mechanically filtering water, adding to it an aqueoussolution of carbonic anhydrid passing the Whole mixture through massesof calcium carbonate, whereby some portion of said calcium carbonate isdissolved, and finally aerating it to reprecipitate said calciumcarbonate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this 1st day of April, 1902.

JULES EMMANUE L CHARLES ISIDORE PU'IZEYS.

Witnesses:

GEORG BEDE, GREGORY PHELAN.

